Florida State Seminoles: 20-11, 9-9 in the ACC
Head coach: Leonard Hamilton (16th season)
Players to watch: Terrance Mann (13.2 PPG, 5.9 RPG); Phil Cofer (13.1 PPG, 5.1 RPG); Braian Angola (12.9 PPG, 3.8 RPG)
Season recap: With stars Dwayne Bacon and Jonathan Issac leaving the program for the NBA, the Seminoles took a step back from their 24-7 season that saw the team finish second in the ACC. After starting off the season strong with nine straight victories, including a road win over then-No.5 Florida, Florida State struggled to find any consistency in ACC play, failing to win more than three games in a row.
The conference's schedule makers did the Seminoles no favors—their opening stretch included Duke, North Carolina, and Miami, all which were top-15 teams at the time. Although the 1-2 ACC start was nothing to be ashamed of, losses to Louisville and Boston College hampered Florida State early in ACC play.
However, three straight wins temporarily righted the ship before three losses in four games—including a road defeat to lowly Wake Forest—put an NCAA bid in question. Nonetheless, the Seminoles closed the season winning the games they were expected to win and added a home victory against then-No.11 Clemson, while losing on the road to NC State and Clemson which pushed them out of a bye in the ACC tournament.
How they make a run: Florida State’s primary shooters—Phil Cofer, Braian Angola, and M.J. Walker—get hot to lead the Seminoles past Missouri before upsetting Xavier en route to the Sweet 16.
How they falter: Without momentum, Florida State's defense fails to support its potent offense and the Seminoles go quietly in the opening weekend.
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